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JAMES D. McCABE, Jr.,
JAMES D. McCABE, Jr.,
" Man , it is not thy works, which are mortal, infinitely little, and the greatest no greater than the least, but only the spirit thou workest in , that can have worth or continuance."— Carlyle . "The physical industries of this world have two relations in them: one to the actor, and one to the public. Honest business is more really a contribution to the public than it is to the manager of the business himself. Although it seems to the man, and generally to the community, that the active busines
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The chief glory of America is, that it is the country in which genius and industry find their speediest and surest reward. Fame and fortune are here open to all who are willing to work for them. Neither class distinctions nor social prejudices, neither differences of birth, religion, nor ideas, can prevent the man of true merit from winning the just reward of his labors in this favored land. We are emphatically a nation of self-made men, and it is to the labors of this worthy class that our marv
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I. MERCHANTS.
I. MERCHANTS.
The fog in the Delaware—News of the war—Alarm of the French skipper—A narrow escape from capture—Arrival of Girard in Philadelphia—Early history of Stephen Girard—An unhappy childhood—Goes to sea—Is licensed to command—Becomes a trader in Philadelphia—Marries Mary Lum—Unfortunate issue of the marriage—Capture of Philadelphia by the British—Early commercial life of Stephen Girard—How he earned his first money, and the use he made of it—Aid from St. Domingo—His rigid attention to business—Thorough
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II. CAPITALISTS.
II. CAPITALISTS.
Staten Island seventy-six years ago—The establishment of the Staten Island ferry—Birth of Cornelius Vanderbilt—His boyhood—Defective education—A famous rider—His early reputation for firmness—Superintends the removal of a ship's cargo at the age of twelve—How he pawned a horse—Becomes a boatman—How he bought his boat—A disastrous voyage—His life as a boatman—His economy and industry—Earns three thousand dollars—The alarm at Fort Richmond—Vanderbilt's perilous voyage for aid for the forts—His mar
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III. INVENTORS.
III. INVENTORS.
Trinity churchyard—The Livingston vault—An interesting place—Fulton's tomb—Birth of Robert Fulton—Boyhood—Early mechanical skill—Robert astonishes his tutor—Robert's fireworks—"Nothing is impossible"—"Quicksilver Bob"—The fishing excursion—The first paddle-wheel boat—Fulton's success as an artist—His gift to his mother—His removal to England—Intimacy with Benjamin West—Goes to Devonshire—Acquaintance with the Duke of Bridgewater—His interest in canal navigation—His first inventions—Goes to Paris
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IV. PUBLISHERS.
IV. PUBLISHERS.
The Brothers Harper—Birth and parentage of James Harper—The Long Island home—James Harper goes to New York—Becomes a "devil"—Winning his way—How he gave his card to a stranger—Arrival of "Brother John"—-Good habits—Sets up for himself—"J. & J. Harper, Printers"—How they started in business—Integrity rewarded—First job—Their first effort at stereotyping—The Harpers become publishers on their own account—Their early ventures—Feeling their way to success—Their publications—Character of thei
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V. EDITORS.
V. EDITORS.
Birth—Intended for the Romish priesthood—How he was induced to come to America—Arrival in Halifax—Comes to the United States—What came of a shilling—Employment in Boston—Reaches New York—Attempts to establish a school—Becomes connected with the press—Success of his Washington letters—Services on the "Courier and Inquirer"—Leaves that journal—Removes to Philadelphia—Establishes "The Pennsylvanian"—Ingratitude of his political associates—Returns to New York—Establishment of "The New York Herald"—E
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VI. LAWYERS.
VI. LAWYERS.
The model American lawyer—Birth and early life of John Marshall—A devoted father—Early education—The young patriot—Troubles with England—Marshall becomes a soldier—The "Culpepper Minute Men"—Marshall's popularity in the army—Finishes his law studies—His journey from Williamsburg to Philadelphia—Commences the practice of the law—Elected to the Legislature—Establishes himself in Richmond—The power of a powdered wig and velvet coat—Marshall's services in the Virginia Convention of 1798—Becomes the
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VII. ARTISTS.
VII. ARTISTS.
A native of Pennsylvania—Circumstances attending his birth—The child of promise—First indications of genius—The baby's portrait—Lessons from the Indians—The box of colors—The truant pupil—The mother's discovery—-West's opinion of his first picture—The little portrait painter—The first attempt at historical painting—"The Death of Socrates"—Choosing a profession—Dedicated to his work—A fighting Quaker—Establishes himself in New York—Visits Europe—Arrival at Rome, and reception there—Visit to the A
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VIII. DIVINES.
VIII. DIVINES.
A Connecticut boy—The minister's family—A gloomy childhood—Ma'arm Kilbourn's school—The loss of his curls—The dull boy—A bad voice for an orator—His first religious impressions—Aunt Esther—The Sunday catechism—Sent to boarding school—Love of nature—Enters his sister's school—The hopeless case—An inveterate joker and an indifferent scholar—Removal to Boston—Gets through the Latin school—The sea-going project—Dr. Beecher's ruse—Life at Mount Pleasant—Conquers mathematics—Embraces religion at a rev
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IX. AUTHORS.
IX. AUTHORS.
Birth and early life—The old house by the sea—College life—Early literary productions—Becomes a professor in Bowdoin College—Travels in Europe—Marriage—Literary labors—"Outre Mer"—Is made a professor in Harvard College—His second visit to Europe—Death of his wife—Goes to live in the Craigie House—Historical associations—Washington's headquarters—A congenial home—Literary labors—"Hyperion"—Great popularity of the book—"Voices of the Night"—"The Spanish Student"—Mr. Longfellow buys the Craigie Hou
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X. ACTORS.
X. ACTORS.
The elder Booth—His success as an actor—His sons—Birth of Edwin Booth—Early life—Brought up on the stage—Admiration for his father—Travels with him—First appearance—Appears frequently with his father—Plays Richard III. in New York—A bold venture—Learns the details of his profession—Visits Australia and the Sandwich Islands—Re-appearance in New York in 1857—Recollections of him at that time—His labors in his profession—Successful tours throughout the country—Visits England—Appears at the Haymarke
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XI. PHYSICIANS.
XI. PHYSICIANS.
Birth and early life—Adopts medicine as a profession—Studies in Europe—Returns home, and is made a professor in the Philadelphia Medical College—Political career—Elected to the Provincial Conference of Pennsylvania—Action with respect to the independence of the colonies—Elected to the Continental Congress—Signs the Declaration of Independence—Marriage—Is made Surgeon-General of the army—Becomes Physician-General—Troubles—Resigns his commission—Letters to the people of Pennsylvania—Services in th
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
One May morning, in the year 1776, the mouth of the Delaware Bay was shrouded in a dense fog, which cleared away toward noon, and revealed several vessels just off the capes. From one of these, a sloop, floated the flag of France and a signal of distress. An American ship ran alongside the stranger, in answer to her signal, and found that the French captain had lost his reckoning in a fog, and was in total ignorance of his whereabouts. His vessel, he said, was bound from New Orleans to a Canadia
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
Those who imagine that the mercantile profession is incapable of developing the element of greatness in the mind of man, find a perfect refutation in the career of the subject of this memoir, who won his immense fortune by the same traits which would have raised him to eminence as a statesman. It may be thought by some that he has no claim to a place in the list of famous Americans, since he was not only German by birth, but German in character to his latest day; but it must be borne in mind tha
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
In the year 1818, a European vessel anchored in the harbor of New York, after a long and weary voyage from the Old World. She brought many passengers to the young metropolis, the majority of whom came with the intention of seeking fortunes in this land of promise. Among them was a young Irishman who had left his home in his native land to seek in America the means of bettering his condition. This was Alexander T. Stewart . He was the son of Scotch-Irish parents, and was born in Belfast in 1802.
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
AMOS LAWRENCE was born at Groton, Massachusetts, on the 22d of April, 1786. His ancestor came of a good English family, and was one of the company which sailed from England for the New World under Governor Winthrop, in 1630, and which, according to Grahame, contained "several wealthy and high-born persons, both men and women, who expressed their determination to follow truth and liberty into a desert, rather than to enjoy all the pleasures of the world under the dominion of superstition and slav
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
There are few men in the city of New York who have won more fairly their proud positions in the mercantile world than he whose name stands at the top of this page. For more than forty years he has carried on a large and increasing business with an energy, skill, and probity which could not fail of success. Andrew V. Stout was born in the city of New York, at No. 6 Canal Street, or, as it was then called, Pump Street, about the year 1814. When he was scarcely more than a child he was left fatherl
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
On Tremont Street, in the City of Boston, near the Roxbury line, there stands an immense building of brick, said to be larger than any edifice in the United States, save the Capitol at Washington. It is built in the form of a hollow square, with a large court-yard in the center, and the building and court-yard together cover an area of five acres. It is five stories in height on the outer side, and six on the inner, the court-yard being one story lower than the street. The building is two hundre
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
The grape culture of the United States is yet in its infancy. Although the annual wine product is estimated at nearly three millions of gallons, there can be no doubt that ere many years shall have elapsed America will rank as one of the most important wine countries of the world. California is already extending her vineyards for miles along her smiling valleys, where the clear sky and the balmy air, which are unchangeable at the season of the grape harvest, permit a degree of perfection in the
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
It is not often that men who pass their lives in the acquisition of money are able to retain the desire to give it to others who have had no share in the earning of it. In European countries, the wealthy merchant commonly uses his fortune for the purpose of founding a family, and securing sometimes a title of nobility. His wealth is entailed, that it may remain in his family and benefit remote generations; but few save those of his own blood enjoy any benefit from it, and the world is no better
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
STATEN ISLAND lies in the beautiful bay of New York, seven miles distant from the great city. Its lofty heights shut in the snug anchorage of the inner bay, and protect it from the rude storms which howl along the coast. It lies full in sight of the city, and is one of the most beautiful and attractive of its suburbs. The commanding heights and embowered shores are covered with villas and cottages, and afford a pleasant and convenient summer resort for the people of New York. It now contains a l
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
The name of Daniel Drew has so long been familiar in the financial circles of the country, that it is surprising that the history of his life is not more generally known. He was born at Carmel, in Putnam County, New York, on the 29th of July, 1797. His father was a small farmer, with limited means, and had to work hard to provide his family with food and clothing. Young Daniel was brought up to work on the farm, and at such times as he could be spared from this work, was sent to the country scho
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
JAMES B. EADS was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in the year 1820. His father was a man of moderate means, and was able to give him a fair English education. From his earliest childhood he evinced a remarkable fondness for all sorts of machinery and mechanical arrangements. This fondness became at length a passion, and excited the surprise of his friends, who could not imagine why a mere child should be so much interested in such things. His greatest delight was to go to the machine shops in his
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
Cyrus far we have been considering the struggles of men who have risen from obscure positions in life, by the aid of their own genius, industry, and courage, to the front rank of their respective callings. We shall now relate the story of one who having already won fortune, periled it all upon an enterprise in which his own genius had recognized the path to fame and to still greater success, but which the almost united voice of the people of his country condemned as visionary, and from which the
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
One of the pleasantest as well as one of the most prominent places in the city of New York is the grave-yard of old Trinity Church. A handsome iron railing separates it from Broadway, and the thick rows of grave-stones, all crumbling and stained with age, present a strange contrast to the bustle, vitality, and splendor with which they are surrounded. They stare solemnly down into Wall Street, and offer a bitter commentary upon the struggles and anxiety of the money kings of the great city. Work,
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
In the year 1735, a party of astronomers, sent by the French Government to Peru for purposes of scientific investigation, discovered a curious tree growing in that country, the like of which no European had ever seen before. It grew to a considerable size, and yielded a peculiar sap or gum. It was the custom of the natives to make several incisions in each tree with an ax, in the morning, and to place under each incision a cup or jar made of soft clay. Late in the afternoon, the fluid thus obtai
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
At the close of the Revolution the States of South Carolina and Georgia presented large tracts of land to the gallant General Nathaniel Greene, to whose genius they were indebted for their relief from British tyranny. Soon after this grant was made, General Greene removed his family to Mulberry Grove, a fine plantation on the Georgia side of the Savannah River. Here he died in 1786, from sunstroke, but his family continued to reside on the place. The mansion of Mrs. Greene was noted for its hosp
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
Any readers of these pages doubtless remember the huge old-fashioned clocks, tower-like in shape, that in the days of their childhood ornamented the remote corner of the hall, or stood solemnly near the chimney in the sitting-room of the old homestead,—such a clock as that which greeted little Paul Dombey, when he commenced to be a man, with its "How, is, my, lit, tle, friend?—how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?" Very different from the bright, pretty timepieces of to-day, which go ticking away, as i
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
One of the busiest parts of the busy thoroughfare of Broadway, in the city of New York, is the point of its intersection with Fourth Street. Thousands and tens of thousands of people pass and repass there daily, but few ever pause to look at the curious machine which stands in the window of the shop at the north-west corner of these two streets. This machine, clumsy and odd-looking as it is, nevertheless has a history which makes it one of the most interesting of all the sights of the great city
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
To write the complete history of the printing press would require years of patient labor and research, and a much larger space than the limits of the present work will permit. There are few subjects more attractive or more worthy of consideration than the history of this wonderful invention, which seems more like a romance than a narration of facts. The historian who should essay the task would be required to carry his reader back to the darkest ages of the world, and, beginning with the stamps
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
SAMUEL COLT was born at Hartford, Connecticut, on the 19th of July, 1814. He was descended from one of the original settlers of that city, and his father, who possessed some means, was a man of great energy, intelligence, and enterprise. The senior Colt began life as a merchant, and afterward became a manufacturer of woolen, cotton, and silk goods. The mother of our hero was the daughter of Major John Caldwell, a prominent banker of Hartford, and is said to have been a woman of superior characte
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE is the eldest son of the late Jedediah Morse, one of the most distinguished Presbyterian clergymen of New England. He was born at Charlestown, Massachusetts, on the 27th of April, 1791, was carefully educated in the common schools of his native town, and at an early age entered Yale College, where he graduated in 1810. He exhibited an early fondness for art as well as studies of a scientific character, and while a student at Yale displayed an especial aptness for chemi
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
Some years ago a gentleman having business with the great house of Harper & Brothers asked one of the employés of that establishment, "Which one is Harper, and which are the brothers?" He was answered, "Either one is Harper, and all the rest are the brothers." This reply fully sets forth the difficulty which must be experienced by any one attempting to write the story of the life of either member of this house. In such an undertaking it is very difficult to select "Harper," and impossibl
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CHAPTER XXII.
CHAPTER XXII.
The old "corner book-store" at the intersection of Washington and School Streets, in the city of Boston, is one of the most notable places in the New England metropolis. The memory of the oldest inhabitant can not recall a time when this corner was not devoted to its present uses; and around it, in the long years that have passed since the first book merchant first displayed his wares here, there have gathered a host of the most interesting, as well as the most brilliant, souvenirs of our litera
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CHAPTER XXIII.
JAMES GORDON BENNETT was born at New Mill, Keith, in Banffshire, on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about the year 1800. His relatives were Roman Catholics, and he was brought up in a Catholic family of French origin. In his fourteenth year, having passed through the primary schools of his native place, he entered the Roman Catholic Seminary at Aberdeen, for the purpose of studying for the priesthood of that Church. During the two or three years which he passed here he was a close student,
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
ROBERT BONNER was born in the north of Ireland, near the town of Londonderry, about the year 1824. He came to this country when a mere child, and was brought up in the State of Connecticut, where he received a good common-school education. Manifesting a decided liking for the printer's trade, he was placed at an early age in the office of the "Hartford Courant," where he took his first lessons in the art of setting type. He entered upon the business with the determination to learn it thoroughly,
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CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXV.
To the writer's mind the most perfect specimen of the American lawyer known to our history was John Marshall , of Virginia, Chief Justice of the United States. Profoundly learned in the law, irresistible in argument, and possessed of an eloquence which drew men in throngs to listen to him, he was also the soul of honor. Neither in his private nor professional life could the most malicious find an action open to reproach. Simple and earnest as a child, he was yet a tower of strength to the cause
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CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVI.
The father of James T. Brady was born in Ireland, and came to this country during the second war with England, and just after his marriage. Mr. Brady opened a school for boys, in New York, soon after his arrival, and it was in that city, on the 9th of April, 1815, that his eldest son, JAMES TOPHAM BRADY, was born. Other children followed, there being seven in all, two boys (James T., and Judge John R. Brady) and five girls. Mr. Brady, senior, was a man of rare abilities, and his wife was a woman
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CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
At a time when America was regarded in Europe as a savage region, and when Americans were looked upon as little better than barbarians by the people of the mother country, it was no slight achievement for an American artist to rise by the force of his genius to the proud position of President of the Royal Academy of Great Britain. The man who won this triumph was Benjamin West . He was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, on the 10th of October, 1738. His parents were Quakers, plain, simple people
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
There is scarcely a family of means and taste in the country but is the possessor of one or more of Rogers's groups in plaster. You see them in every art or book-store window, and they are constantly finding new admirers, and rendering the name of the talented sculptor more and more a household word. John Rogers , to whom the world is indebted for this new branch of art, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, on the 30th of October, 1829. His ancestors were among the original settlers of the colony,
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CHAPTER XXIX.
CHAPTER XXIX.
HIRAM POWERS was born in Woodstock, Vermont, on the 29th of July, 1805. He was the eighth in a family of nine children, and was the son of a farmer who found it hard to provide his little household with the necessaries of life. He grew up as most New England boys do, sound and vigorous in health, passing the winters in attendance upon the district schools, and the summers in working on the farm. "The only distinctive trait exhibited by the child was mechanical ingenuity; he excelled in caricatur
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CHAPTER XXX.
CHAPTER XXX.
EMMANUEL LEUTZE, by adoption an American, was born in the village of Emingen, near the city of Reutlingen, in Wurtemberg, on the 24th of May, 1816. His father emigrated to America during the infancy of his son, and the future artist spent his youth in the city of Philadelphia and the town of Fredericksburg, Virginia. He received a good common school education, and passed his time in comparative seclusion from society, reading and studying, but showing no especial fondness for art. At length, dur
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CHAPTER XXXI.
CHAPTER XXXI.
HENRY WARD BEECHER was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on the 24th of June, 1813, and was the eighth child of Dr. Lyman Beecher, the famous Presbyterian divine of New England. Dr. Beecher was regarded as one of the most powerful champions of orthodox Christianity in the land of the pilgrims, and had the good fortune to be the father of a family whose members have become celebrated for their intellectual gifts. The most of these gave early promise of their future distinction, but the subject of
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CHAPTER XXXII.
CHAPTER XXXII.
One of the most remarkable men in the American ministry is Peter Cartwright , the "Backwoods Preacher." Sixty-seven years of ministerial labors have passed over his head, and yet he still continues in the field in which he has done such good service, and retains all the popularity and much of the fire of his younger days. He was born in Amherst County, Virginia, on the 1st of September, 1785. His father had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and his mother was an orphan. Shortly after the
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CHAPTER XXXIII.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Wherever the English language is spoken, the name of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has become a household word, and there is scarcely a library, however humble, but can boast a well-worn volume of his tender songs,—songs that "Have power to quiet The restless pulse of care, And come like the benediction That follows after prayer." He was born in the city of Portland, Maine, on the 27th of February, 1807, and was the son of the Hon. Stephen Longfellow, a distinguished lawyer of that city. The house
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
There came to the old town of Salem, in the Province of Massachusetts, in the early part of the seventeenth century, an English family named Hawthorne—Puritans, like all the other inhabitants of that growing town. They proved their fidelity to Puritan principles by entering readily into all the superstitions of the day, and became noted for the zeal with which they persecuted the Quakers and hung the witches. The head of the family was a sea captain, and for many generations the men of the famil
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CHAPTER XXXV.
CHAPTER XXXV.
There are many persons who remember the elder Booth, the "Great Booth," as he was called, in his palmy days, when the bare announcement of his name was sufficient to cram our old-fashioned theaters from pit to dome. He was sublime in the stormy passions which he delineated, and never failed to draw down from the gods of the gallery the uproarious yells with which they testify their approval; even the more dignified occupants of the boxes found themselves breaking into outbursts of applause which
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CHAPTER XXXVI.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
The subject of this sketch is one of a race of actors. His great-grandfather was a contemporary of some of the brightest ornaments of the English stage, and was himself a famous actor and the intimate friend of Garrick, Sam Foote, and Barr. He was a man of amiable and winning disposition, and was strikingly handsome in person. He occupies a prominent place in the history of the English stage, and is said to have been, socially, one of the most brilliant men of his day. He died in 1807. In 1795 h
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CHAPTER XXXVII.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
It is not often that a man, however gifted, is capable of rising to eminence in two distinct branches of public life, especially in two so widely separated from each other as medicine and politics. The subject of this sketch was one of the few who have achieved such distinction. Benjamin Rush was born on Poquestion Creek, near Philadelphia, on the 24th of December, 1745. He was carefully educated at the best common schools of his native county, and then entered Princeton College, where he gradua
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CHAPTER XXXVIII.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
VALENTINE MOTT was born at Glen Cove, on Long Island, on the 20th of August, 1785. His father, Dr. Henry Mott, was an eminent practitioner in the city of New York, where he died in 1840, at the age of eighty-three. Valentine Mott was carefully educated by private tutors until he reached the age of nineteen, when he entered Columbia College, New York, as a medical student, and at the same time became a private medical pupil of his kinsman, Dr. Valentine Seaman. At the age of twenty-one he graduat
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